How to: Negative Energy Affinity

How to: Negative Energy Affinity

D&D has two damage types that are quite special - positive energy and negative energy. Positive energy heals living beings and harms the undead, while negative energy heals the undead and harms living beings. What are some ways of doing that in GURPS?

Option 1: Positive/negative energy damage type is a property of the ability.

Thus, we create a Channel Positive Energy ability that consists of two linked abilities - one that heals the living and one that harms the undead; and a Channel Negative Energy ability that does the reverse. Healing can be done either with Healing or with an Affliction that grants Regeneration. The second option seems better to me, but you have to keep in mind that most undead creatures have Unhealing (Total). To circumvent that, we have to add Negated Disadvantage, Unhealing (Total), +300%. However, if we do that, then the affected creature will benefit from other healing effects while under effect of this Regeneration. To remove this, decrease the enhancement value to +200% - Negated Disadvantage, Unhealing (Total), Only for this ability, +200%. I've already created such abilities in How to: Cleric Abilities. However, these are very costly (using Healing instead of Regeneration does not help with that).

Option 2: Negative energy affinity is a property of the creature.

Thus, every undead creature (or living creature with negative energy affinity) must have the following ability:

Negative Energy Affinity [45]

Decrease damage taken by this creature from negative energy by 10, including internal negative energy damage. For each 2 full points of damage blocked, the creature heals 1 HP. This cannot increase HP above the normal maximum.

Statistics: Damage Resistance 10 (Absorption, HP Only, +80%; Includes Eyes, +10%; Includes Internal, +20%; Limited, Negative Energy, -80%; Tough Skin, -40%) [45].

Giving each living creature something like Positive Energ Affinity would make things much more complicated. Undead creatures are rarely used as player characters, and their point values generally are deep in the negatives. Giving them Negative Energy Affinity will not significantly affect their viability as Allies, etc. However, this will affect the statistics of abilities that channel negative energy (but not those that channel positive energy). This is what it will look like.

Channel Negative Energy (Affinity Variant)

Keywords: Area (Fixed), Obvious.

Full Cost: 32 points.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Self.

Duration: Instantaneous.

You channel negative energy through your body that appears as a black flash. When this spell is cast, every living or undead being within four yards immediately takes 2d negative energy damage. Undead creatures or other creatures with Negative Energy Affinity are healed instead as described in the ability. Treat any excess damage (or all damage, for living beings) as crushing damage with no knockback. This spell cannot affect Sealed beings, but can affect insubstantial beings.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 2d (Accessibility, Only on undead and living creatures, -5%; Affects Insubstantial, +20%; Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Contact Agent, +150%; Emanation, -20%; No Knockback, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [32].

Honestly, I like the affinity option. I will not be using it for monsters I post here to retain the generic feel, but I will consider using it in my games.

Let's also make Cure/Inflict Wounds spells for both variants.

  

Cure Wounds

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 45 points.

Casting Roll: IQ for healing. Use DX or unarmed combat skills to hit.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Instantaneous.

When casting this spell, you must declare whether you are trying to heal a living subject or harm an undead subject. Thus, if you are somehow deceived by the appearance and try to heal an undead subject or harm a living subject, the spell fails.

On living subjects, this spell works identically to Minor Healing (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 17). However, it can affect any living creature, not only humans and similar races, and the caster cannot affect himself.

On undead subjects, this spell deals 1d injury regardless of DR and insubstantiality.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Accessibility, Only undead, -50%; Affects Insubstantial, +20%; Cosmic, Irresistible Attack, +300%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry, -35%; No Knockback, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [16/5=4] + Healing (Cannot restore crippled limbs, -10%; Capped, 2 FP, -25%; Injuries Only, -20%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Fatigue Cost 1, +20%; Xenohealing, Anything Alive, +80%) [41]. Notes: The 4 HP of healing has been converted to dice per p. B269. These abilities are taken as alternative abilities.

  

Inflict Wounds

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 20 points.

Casting Roll: IQ for healing. Use DX or unarmed combat skills to hit.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Instantaneous.

When casting this spell, you must declare whether you are trying to heal an undead subject or harm a living subject. Thus, if you are somehow deceived by the appearance and try to heal a living subject or harm an undead subject, the spell fails.

On undead subjects, this spell works identically to Minor Healing (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 17). However, the caster cannot affect himself.

On living subjects, this spell deals 1d injury regardless of DR and insubstantiality.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Accessibility, Only on living creatures, -10%; Affects Insubstantial, +20%; Cosmic, Irresistible Attack, +300%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry, -35%; No Knockback, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [18] + Healing (Accessibility, Only affects undead, -50%; Cannot restore crippled limbs, -10%; Capped, 2 FP, -25%; Injuries Only, -20%; Magical, -10%; Reduced Fatigue Cost 1, +20%) [6/5=2]. Notes: The 4 HP of healing has been converted to dice per p. B269. These abilities are taken as alternative abilities.

  

Inflict Wounds (Affinity Variant)

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 3 points.

Casting Roll: None. Use DX or unarmed combat skills to hit.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Instantaneous.

By making a physical contact with a living or undead creature, you deal it 1d negative energy damage. Undead creatures or other creatures with Negative Energy Affinity are healed instead as described in the ability. Treat any excess damage (or all damage, for living beings) as crushing damage with no knockback. This spell can affect insubstantial beings.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Accessibility, Only on living or undead creatures, -5%; Affects Insubstantial, +20%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry, -35%; No Knockback, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [3].